Pet Insurance

There are many choices out there for pet insurance. Here are some tips to simplify your decision:

Research pet health insurance policies before or soon after you obtain a pet.
Enroll your pet when healthy.
Ask your veterinarian which illnesses are most likely to affect pets like yours – and investigate coverage for those ailments.
Ask your veterinarian, hospital staff and friends for pet health insurance company recommendations.
Compare policies offered by at least three different companies.
Make sure you understand how the policies will calculate reimbursement of benefits.
Ask how often your premium will change and why.
Ask how much your premium will be in the future.
Ask how long the company has been in business.
Ask if the numbers of claims submitted affects your premium.
Choose the deductible and required co-payment you can afford.
Visit independent websites with customer reviews of providers and policies.
Visit each company’s Facebook page to see what comments their policyholders are posting.

DON’T

Wait to get a policy until your pet needs medical care. Pet insurance policies will not cover pre-existing conditions.
Make a decision solely on advertising. Read the fine print on how the policy actually works.
Base your purchase decision on cost alone. A low premium now may not provide enough benefits when needed later, while a higher premium may be affordable now, but may become too costly to keep in the future.